Recycling Glass

Glass is a major problem during our recycling collection. It breaks, it cuts (hands and bags), and it's heavy. We still want to collect it, however, because it's perfectly recyclable, and does not "break down" in a landfill like many people seem to say. Please, don't use glass at your tailgate.

Glass Recycling Facts:

The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. It also causes 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than when a new bottle is made from raw materials.

A modern glass bottle would take 4000 years or more to decompose -- and even longer if it's in the landfill.

Mining and transporting raw materials for glass produces about 385 pounds of waste for every ton of glass that is made. If recycled glass is substituted for half of the raw materials, the waste is cut by more than 80%.

Every month, we throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a giant skyscraper. All of these jars are recyclable!